Victim of Centreville home explosion plans to sue Washington Gas

Centreville home explosion victim to sue gas company

An 83-year-old man whose home was destroyed in an explosion in Centreville is preparing to sue Washington Gas. He was severely hurt in the explosion.

FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. - Nearly a month after a gas explosion leveled a home in Fairfax County, the man who lost his home is preparing to sue Washington Gas.

The explosion rocked the Centreville community, and neighbors were forced out of their homes for weeks.

The house where the explosion originated remains fenced off, basically in ruins — a troubling reminder of what happened almost one month ago.

The backstory:

Around 9:50 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 15, crews with Fairfax County Fire and Rescue responded to a house fire on the 14300 block of Quail Pond Court in Centreville after multiple calls reported a loud explosion and flames.

A home was completely destroyed in the explosion, which was determined to have been caused by a gas leak. Dozens of other homes had to be evacuated after the explosion.

READ MORE: Firefighters respond to explosion, house fire in Centreville

While the gas leak was identified and repaired, investigators are not sure what exactly sparked the explosion and ignited the fire.  

The cause of the explosion is still under investigation by the NTSB.  

The lawsuit:

While the house was destroyed, the 83-year-old homeowner was able to get out alive, although he was seriously hurt.

Now, that homeowner, who wishes to remain anonymous, has hired attorneys who are working to conduct their own investigation into the fire and pursue legal claims against Washington Gas. 

The attorney says they're also challenging Allstate's alleged denial of an insurance claim made by the homeowner for reportedly being "underinsured." 

Fairfax County attorney Demetry Pikrallidas is representing the homeowner.

"It’s been a catastrophic event in his life. He was a senior citizen when this happened, he’s 83 years old, and a recent widower. In seconds, his life got destroyed. He’s got no home, he’s been displaced, he’s got physical injuries, he’s got significant emotional injuries and I don’t think he’s had a full night of sleep since this happened," said attorney Demetry Pikrallidas, who is representing the homeowner. 

Adding insult to injury, Pikrallidas says his client just got a bill from Washington Gas even though the house is destroyed.  

Dig deeper:

FOX 5 has reached out to Washington Gas and Allstate Insurance for comment. We are still waiting to hear back. 

At this time, it appears all the homes aside from the one where the gas leak originated are reoccupied.